


The Road Towards Hope

by aborfable



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arguing, Background Relationships, Childhood Trauma, Co-workers, Comfort, Confusion, Crying, Dangan Ronpa IF, Discrimination, Early Mornings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hypocrisy, Identity Issues, Ikusaba Mukuro-centric, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kissing, Lobotomy, Love, Mornings, Multi, Nightmares, Other, Pain, Past Abuse, Past Brainwashing, Past Relationship(s), Post-Dangan Ronpa IF, Regret, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Self-Reflection, Shame, Sleeping Together, Trauma, Verbal Humiliation, Vomiting, Workplace Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:40:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22308055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aborfable/pseuds/aborfable
Summary: Mukuro Ikusaba has decided to leave her sister behind and walk her own path. Her entire life she has been in search for despair, yet she found nothing but boredom and blandness. Despite her decision, she is still tormented by the regret of leaving her little sister behind, not once, but twice. Can she really find a future for herself when the whole world hates her?
Relationships: Enoshima Junko & Ikusaba Mukuro, Enoshima Junko & Naegi Makoto, Ikusaba Mukuro/Naegi Makoto, Kuwata Leon/Maizono Sayaka
Comments: 9
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

_“Mukurooooo!!!”_

_Mukuro covered her ears. The sound was deafening. Her head_ _hurt from the wailing._

_“Why did you leave me?!”_

_The pink-haired child’s voice shattered the windows in the room. Her eyes were pleading._

_Mukuro blinked, and the world shifted before her eyes. Now she was looking on at a scene taking place. One that she had experienced before. She grimaced, clenching her teeth._

_A young girl, who was on her knees, grabbed the skirt tail of another girl’s outfit, tugging it back_ towards her.

_“Sis...”_

_The other girl stopped._

_“DON’T LEAVE!!!!” Her voice was hoarse, as if she’d been screaming at the top of her lungs for hours._

_The girl ignored her, and began to walk away, not looking back._

_“MUKUROOOOOOOOO!”_

_Mukuro gasped, covering her mouth. The pink-haired girl’s tears dripped to the floor. Her face began to melt, and she sputtered as if she were trying to form words. She turned her hideous face towards Mukuro._

_“Muh...roh...”_

“JUNKO!” Mukuro screamed as she shot up in the bed. She trembled, hyperventilating. Her body was cold with sweat.

Makoto startled awake, immediately springing up to see what was wrong. It didn’t take him long to grasp the situation. He wrapped his arms around her. “Hey hey hey...shhhh...it’s okay...it’s okay...”

Mukuro trembled, a whine escaping her mouth. 

He reached for the lamp, flipping it on. “Hey...look at me...” He grabbed her shoulder, gently turning her to face him. 

She steadied her breathing. “Just a dream...”

“Sounded like a nightmare...” He reached up and ran his fingers through her raven black hair. 

Mukuro admired him for a moment, before breaking out of her trance. She sighed, checking the time. “I’m gonna go ahead and get up.” She swung her feet off of the bed. 

Makoto frowned. “Are you sure? You need to get as much rest as you can.”

She nodded. “I don’t think I could go back to sleep if I wanted to.”

“If you say so...” He looked at her worriedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to keep this updated regularly! I have so many ideas I want to put into this!


	2. Chapter 2

"Mornin' Makoto!" Hina beamed. She had sprinkles around her mouth. 

"Good morning, Hina." Makoto smiled.

"Leon! Wake up sleepyhead!" Sayaka sat on Leon's lap.

"Ughhh... It's too early Sayaka!" Leon groaned. "H-hey, what are you doing to my hair?!"

Sayaka giggled.

Mukuro stepped in among the chatter. As she expected, the room grew silent, and everyone's attention turned to her. She held a tray of coffees. "Good morning."

Makoto looked at her, smiling. "Good morning, Mukuro!"

Thirteen more good mornings followed. She could almost ignore the cold stares from everyone else in the room. Her classmates had forgiven her of the unthinkable, it made absolutely no sense to her. She wasn't even sure why she was _here_ in stead of in prison. There were a number of people in this room that she could tell would prefer her behind bars, maybe even executed. Makoto had been the one that _insisted_ the Future Foundation not restrain her, the rest of the class went along with him. Thinking about it hurt her head. They had the power to immediately capture her, so why didn't they? Was it the class's persuading? Were they scared of her? Was it both? They had seen what she was capable of. It dawned on her that they had also seen her risk her life for the sake of her classmates. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter. It felt good to be given a second chance, even when she felt like she didn't deserve it. She smiled and began to pass out the coffees.

She hated the look some people gave her as she passed by them, setting down a coffee in front of them. Ruruka simply pushed hers away. Seiko picked hers up taking the lid off and sniffing it. Miaya didn't even seem to notice that a coffee had been placed in front of her. 

"How are you today, Mukuro?" Gozu looked at her. 

Mukuro was a bit shocked to hear one of the higher ups speaking to her so casually. She could tell that he was smiling despite that mask. He pulled it back just enough to take a sip of the coffee, but not to show his face. She smiled, incredibly happy to see that someone was willing to give her a chance. 

"I'm good..." She muttered, moving along to pass out more. 

"I take it these aren't poisoned?" Kyosuke Munakata's cold voice made her flinch.

She shook her head. "N-no sir, why would I do something like that?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, and it was painfully obvious to her what he was about to say. 

"Did you not work alongside Junko Enoshima to plunge the whole world into chaos?"

"..." She looked at the ground.

Makoto stood up from his chair. "Why do you guys always treat her like this?! She's trying to change!"

"This is coming from the person who sympathizes with a terrorist group!" Kyosuke retorted, slamming his fist on the table.

Makoto fell silent, sitting back down. 

"She's part of the Ultimate Despair, I do not understand how you could trust her with-"

"Kyosuke, leave the poor girl be!" The calm and soothing voice of Chisa Yukizome interrupted him. 

"Yukizome..." He started. 

"Don't 'Yukizome' me." She walked over from the window she had been polishing, bending down so she could point at him, as if scolding a child. "You're too harsh on her. Stop being so grumpy all the time!"

Mukuro watched in silence. How? Why her of all people? Of all people in this room to defend her, why Chisa Yukizome? It's almost as if fate was mocking her. She didn't even know if Yukizome was defending her of her own will, or if what's left of her mind told her to protect despair. She was genuinely clueless, Yukizome was a rare case. There was a chance that the Ultimate Despair can be saved, reformed even, but that wasn't the case with Yukizome. Her mind was damaged beyond repair, and no one in this room knew except Mukuro. Mukuro knew it better that anyone else. Mukuro had been the one that drove metal rods through her skull and into her brain. Yukizome had been left a shell of her former self, such as to be expected of lobotomy victims. Sometimes Mukuro would find Yukizome sitting down somewhere, staring off into space. She'd never be the same again, and she would always be a reminder of Mukuro's sins. At the time, performing a lobotomy on someone didn't even phase her. Yet, now it made her feel sick, looking at the woman who she had stolen everything from defend her right to be forgiven. She hadn't eaten yet, but it caused her stomach to churn.

"I need to be excused." She said hastily, setting down the coffees on the table.

"Mukuro?" Makoto started to stand up, but Kyoko shook her head. 

"She's struggling with regrets of the past. It's best if you let her cool off."

Mukuro ran to the bathroom, swung open the first stall she could reach, and puked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems like I put way more work into this one. I'm hungry.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! The support I got for this story was outstanding! Thank you all so much!

Mukuro often wondered what her sister was doing. After she and her classmates were rescued by the Future Foundation, Mukuro had been restrained and questioned. Of course, she complied, telling all that she knew of her sister’s plans. 

The problem with that is that how Junko’s mind worked was a mystery to Mukuro. She knew that Junko hadn’t told her everything; like how she was planning to kill her the whole time. 

Mukuro never understood why Junko was the way she was, never able to see eye-to-eye with her. There was one thing she was certain of, though, if she hadn’t left her when they were so young...

“Mukuro!” Makoto opened the door, trotting over to her. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” Mukuro said, her gaze still fixed on the red sky through the window. 

“That’s a lie.” Makoto narrowed his eyes. “You’re not fine. Tell me what’s wrong.” He grabbed her hands.

Mukuro stood silently for a moment. “I don’t think I could tell you what exactly it is. I can’t tell for myself.”

Makoto frowned, releasing her hands. He walked up next to her, staring out into the world with her. “Pretty soon...the Future Foundation will make it’s move to capture the Ultimate Despair. What they do after that...”

“That would be to kill them.” Mukuro interrupted him. 

“...Hang on! How do you know that? Is that really the only option!?” He took a step back from her. 

“I couldn’t think of anything else. It’s unfortunate, but it’s probably what will happen.” She frowned. “I could do it myself if that’s what will gain their trust.” 

“H-hey! Don’t talk like that!” His eyes were wide. “I’m not gonna let that happen! There’s gotta be something else we can do!” 

“...”

“If you’re not gonna talk...I’m just gonna go. I’ll see you later.” Makoto turned to walk towards the door, stopping with his hand on the doorknob. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”


	4. Chapter 4

Mukuro should have known that Makoto would be opposed to idea of killing the remnants. His heart was bigger than most. It puzzled her and her sister. The hope inside of him, that was the reason she fell in love with him. She wasn’t alone. Junko had been in love with him too.

Junko stared at Makoto with such longing in her eyes. Mukuro knew she wanted his hope, or his love rather. But Junko believed that there was no hope for her, and she’d never accept it. Instead she wanted to see the people she loved suffer, bringing the world that treated her poorly into flames. That’s what’s she wanted.

Similarly to Junko, Mukuro never quite felt complete. But Mukuro was different from Junko. Mukuro wasn’t empty. When Junko shoved her, kicked her, or said awful things, Mukuro felt happy. She was happy because she knew it made Junko feel despair, the only thing she could feel. That’s why she always let her do it. It was her sister’s way of showing her love.

Mukuro didn’t mind killing, just like Junko. But for Mukuro, killing wasn’t a way of experiencing despair. It was just what she felt that she had to do. Though she was good at it, incredibly good at it, it still didn’t fulfill what she was searching for. She wanted to experience despair like her sister did; it never came. It didn’t bring her any emotion at all, that’s what she had discovered. Despair didn’t feel good to Mukuro. She hated it. Despair was the feeling of abandoning her sister, and almost being killed by her sister, being disowned by her sister.

However, Makoto made her feel hope. He had made her feel hope from the time he first smiled at her. When Makoto saved her back at the academy, everything changed. The feeling of hope inside of her was an entire new high. Was this what despair felt like Junko? That questioned plagued her mind. There surely was no way. If Junko could feel this, she’d have no desire to keep killing, keep destroying.

After escaping the academy, Mukuro’s feelings spilled. She closed her eyes, recalling it.

_She was on her knees, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. “I-I’ve never f-felt like this before! I-I don’t know w-what’s wrong with me!”_

_Makoto knelt down, smiling at her. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Nothing at all.”_

_“This is where you belong, Mukuro.” Sayaka smiled. “With people who love you.”_

_Even Byakuya smiled, ever so slightly. “I’m not sure if I trust you all the way, and it certainly isn’t gonna be easy getting the Future Foundation to trust you, however, I’m in debt to you for saving my life.”_

_Mukuro could feel the bond in that room. The love, the trust. “This feeling...it’s hope. Right?”_

_“I think so.” Makoto tipped her chin up._

Mukuro understood. She needed Makoto. She needed his love, his hope. He must have understood, because he pulled her in to kiss her on the lips.

After that, since they were “official”, as the rest of the class liked to call it, Makoto and her shared a room. It happened that quick because Mukuro could never sleep. One morning she completely blacked out at the table. That’s when Makoto had insisted on moving in, and it helped.

She recalled one night when she was sitting on his lap, and they were kissing.

_A sudden thought prompted her to grab his face, and she asked “Why do you love me?”_

_Makoto had raised an eyebrow, thinking over his answer. “Hmmm...lets see...you’re amazing, beautiful, talented...” He went on and on._

_The compliments had made her giggle to herself. The joy didn’t last long, because soon there was a jolt of sharp pain in her head. She could hear her sister’s voice._

_“You and me are unlovable. No one will ever love you, Mukuro. No one except me!”_

_It sounded so real that she turned her head, expecting to see Junko standing behind her. She wasn’t there._

Mukuro started crying, turning on her heel and running out the door into the hallways. “Makoto-wait!”

Makoto turned and saw her standing there. "Mukuro..."

“P-please don’t go.” She begged, trying to wipe her tears, but they kept coming back. **_“I’m such a hypocrite.”_**


End file.
